A sprawling storm system currently affecting the Northwest will traverse the nation’s mid-section during the mid- to late-week period. Potential storm-related impacts may include 1 to 3 inches of rain from the Mississippi Valley eastward; locally severe thunderstorms across the eastern one-half of the U.S.; windy, mostly dry weather and an elevated wildfire threat on the central and southern Great Plains; and snow across the nation’s northern tier, extending as far east as the upper Great Lakes region.